Last week in Hong Kong: We were honored to host leaders from brands, retailers, and across the supply chain last week for our 4th annual AAFA Executive Think Tank in Hong Kong. We thank last week's speakers (including executives from JD.com, Louis Vuitton, PVH Corp., VF Corporation, VIP.com, ZALORA, and more) and our keynote, award-winning journalist and CNN personality Andrew Stevens. The state of trade and tariffs was a critical subject of focus. Over the course of the day the group also covered boundary-less retail, merging online branding while digitizing brick-and-mortar retail, optimizing where and how product is produced, key performance indicators of corporate social responsibility, maximizing the experience sharing for consumers — and much, much more! Stay tuned for details about our 2019 Think Tank next October.

While in Hong Kong, AAFA spent quality time discussing matters of trade relations with members and with international media outlets including CNBC (watch here), Bloomberg (watch here), BBC, and the South China Morning Post (see our cover story here).

The Industry Talks Trade panel during the AAFA Executive Think Tank in Hong Kong on October 24. Panelists included AAFA's Rick Helfenbein, CCCT's Chen Zheng, AmCham Hong Kong's Tara Joseph, and moderator Andrew Stevens.	AAFA President and CEO Rick Helfenbein (center) and members of the AAFA team visited member company Intertek for a discussion on trade policy on October 25.

Commit to responsible recruitment: On Monday, October 22, AAFA and the Fair Labor Association announced a proactive industry effort to address potential forced labor risks for migrant workers in the global supply chain. The list of participants has now grown to 125 companies (and still growing)! Access the commitment and up-to-date list of participants. For questions about the Commitment or how to join (it’s not too late), contact AAFA’s Nate Herman.

Member webinars this week and next: AAFA invites you to join us for two upcoming member-only webinars, including:

TOMORROW, October 31: NAFTA to USMCA – A Deep Dive with AAFA
In this member-only webinar, AAFA’s trade experts will discuss what the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) means for your business and the industry at large. Register here!

November 8: Midterm Election Results & What's Ahead
Immediately following the 2018 midterm elections, AAFA leadership will take a first look at what those results mean for the country and for the policies affecting your business. Register today.